by Tompet Games

The Indie Game Alliance

This week Im not talking a game designer but to Matt Holden. He runs a guild for game designers and publishers. If you are a kickstarter creator you can get lots of benefits and useful tips by joining this community.

What is IGA?

The Indie Game Alliance is a guild of over 500 independent tabletop game designers and publishers. Our community works together to support and promote each other. IGA as an organization also provides a variety of tools and benefits that its members cannot easily get on their own, such as an international demo and playtest team and quantity discounts with over 40 manufacturers and service providers. IGA also offers consulting for game development and crowdfunding campaigns.

Why should a game creator join IGA?

IGA is, in my admittedly biased opinion, a fantastic group for designers and publishers. We go out of our way to try to make every aspect of this business, from getting your game printed to selling at conventions, just a little bit easier. IGA is based on the concept that a lot of people working together can do big things — our goal is to help indies compete with the Asmodees and Hasbros of the world — so the more IGA grows, the more effective it can be for all our members.

If I don´t live in the US. Can the IGA promote my game and run playthroughs on american cons?

Absolutely! IGA has member studios on every continent except Antarctica. We’re active at conventions all over the US and are expanding convention operations into Europe in 2017. We can do not only demos, but sales as well.

Who is the regular IGA member?

There is no real standard – we support everyone from new designers working on their first prototype all the way up to famous indie powerhouses like Greater than Games, Brotherwise, and Tasty Minstrel.

What does it cost to become a member?

IGA offers a free-for-life Starter membership for designers to get your foot in the door. To access all of the higher-end features, including the discount program and our sales efforts, you’d need to upgrade to IGA Pro, which runs $20 a month or less.

What is your best tip to build up a following before you launch?

Join IGA! 😉 Aside from that, the easiest and most cost-effective way I’ve seen is to do some contests on Twitter that require a follow and a share to enter. That incentivizes people to get into your network, which will help when you have something to say about your game.

What is your favourite board game?

That’s an unfair question because we have so very many favorites! Right now I’m really enjoying playtesting Coma Ward, a survival horror game from first-time designer Danny Lott and IGA member Everything Epic Games. Look for it on Kickstarter later this year.

Do you have any role models in the board gaming industry?

When I was in college for game design, one of my instructors was Dave Arneson of D&D fame. Dave was an absolutely fantastic teacher and it was so amazing to listen to him describe the birth of the games and the industry I love. I miss him a great deal.

Anything else you want to add?

In addition to looking for new member publishers, IGA Is always looking to expand our Minion team – the volunteers that help us with demos and sales at conventions, stores and such. We offer generous compensation in games from IGA member publishers. Details can be found at www.indiegamealliance.com/minions.